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The first four episodes (Volume 1) of When Life Gives You Tangerines has just been released two days ago in 2025. Known as Thank you for your hard work, a literal translation from폭싹 속았수다 or Pokssak Sokatsooda, the Netflix episodic series dives deep into the hard work that Jeju Island’s women divers do every single day, risking their health, having issues like joint pain and even respiratory issues. Having seen an actual Jeju Island women divers’ performance back in 2019 allows me to judge to what extent the portrayals in the series are as close to real-life.

Though the starting can feel like a drag, it gives the viewer a sense of bittersweetness that makes life all the more interesting – which is often the case even in real-life. There’s no straightforward path in getting all you desire in life.

IU, popular in the South Korean K-Pop scene, plays Oh Ae-Sun, the girl with a desire for a better future through education and by becoming a poet. However, given her family background and circumstances, she is unable to attend day school like those in her age group and is destined to continue what her mother started – diving in order to look for the best catch – seafood, including the abalone.

Elements of creativity are poured into the making of this series, as you’ll find photograph stamps like in the olden days – and I enjoyed this as it helps the viewer keep track of what’s happening – as the story unfolds and switches back and forth between the four different seasons/stages of life           .

The good-looking Park Bo-gum plays the realistic and humble Yang Gwan Sik, the love interest of Oh-Ae Sun. Gwan Sik’s family has a fishmonger business and is very demanding and eventually has Ae Sun as one of their in-laws.

Both Ae Sun and Gwan Sik are natives of Jeju Island, born in the 1950s, and Ae Sun holds firm that she will not fall for boys of Jeju Island.

The canola field scenery alone is captivating and if I may, therapeutic, even without the romantic scenes taking place – it feels very dreamlike.

Yet, in essence, this drama powerfully captures the nuances and harsh realities of growing up within certain circumstances.

Each episode, in what is going to be a 16-episode adventure, is about an hour-long – including the fitting watercolour drawing-like opening theme that greets you every single time you stream/watch.

Yup, I’m done watching the first part of this series. Here’s to hoping for more gripping and evocative episodes in the remaining two.

Volume 2 will be out on 14 March 2025, while the remaining two volumes will be released on 21 March 2025 and 28 March 2025 respectively. 

Updated 18/3/2025 - An earlier article appeared with an overlook on the volumes, and has since been corrected.